


A Story For a Word

by orphan_account



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Drabble Collection, Gen, One Shot Collection, Will Post Before Each Chapter, warnings vary by chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-13 16:42:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5709610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of Bakurae-centric one-shots and drabbles, each based on a single word. Will never end until I run out of words in the dictionary. Rated T for general action. Chapter 4: Crisis: Ryou has a major problem to deal with. When the Spirit of the Millennium Ring offers to help, Ryou refuses<br/>NOTE: THIS IS AN OLD FIC. PLS DO NOT JUDGE PRE-TEEN ME.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**A/N: Hello Archive of Our Own! This is a story that I’ve been posting on ffnet for a while before finding about this nice little gem here. It is a series of Bakurae (Ryou Bakura, Yami Bakura, Thief King Bakura) drabbles (mostly) and one-shots based off of a 100 Theme Challenge from DeviantART. If you like this, check out my other work, Story for a Line, which is the exact same except each chapter is prompted by a quote!**

Theme 1: Introduction  
________________________________________

Ryou grabbed his head groggily, trying to recognize drunken blurs as shapes and things. Where was he? What was he doing? 

His mind snapped to some semblance of focus....Gakuyuu... The two of them had been playing a game... Monster World. Ryou remembered starting the TTRPG, but did they finish? How far had they actually gotten?

Ryou groaned as the world slowly shifted into focus. He was sitting in front of his Monster World game board. His Game Master, Zorc, stood triumphantly in the center of his castle's keep, right where the castle trap took out all of the opponents who made it that far. But where was Gakuyuu? He wasn't in the seat across from Ryou.

He got to his feet carefully, ignoring his pounding headache. "Ga-kun?" His voice grated against his throat and his winced. He felt like he had sandpaper lodged in his throat. 

There was no answer. "Ga-kun? Where are you?" Ryou turned in a slow circle, looking for any sign of his best friend. His eyes fell upon a familiar figurine.

A half-elf illusionist with flowing turquoise robes and short and wild black hair sat on a previously unused shelf to the right of the game board. Ryou picked it up carefully, fingering the intricate embroidery he had painted on his best friend's figurine. Suddenly, he noticed that the figure had been standing on a small square of paper.

Ryou placed the figurine down carefully and picked up the paper. On it was written two words in what looked like his own handwriting, but messier: 

Turn Left.

Fearing what he would find, but unable to resist, Ryou obeyed.

Gakuyuu had fallen off his chair and was now lying unconscious, curled into a fetal position. "Ga-kun!" Ryou cried, running to his best friend's side. "Are you okay?" Ryou's brain whirrled. What happened? Why?

"Payment, my little light."

The voice was smooth but harsh, his own but not. "Who are you? What did you do to him? What do you mean by "payment"?!" Ryou stood up, trying to make his wiry physique appear intimidating.

"I am you tenant, my light. And you,... you are my landlord."


	2. Poison

Theme 2: Poison  
________________________________________

Ryou grimaced. Could they not *hear*? Could they not at least *sense* the malicious words that Bakura sent their way? He sighed. No, they couldn’t. The words were spoken silently in his mind where only _he_ was lucky enough to hear. He needed to leave.

"Excuse me. I really must get going. It's rather late, and I need to finish some homework." Ryou stood up from the park bench he was perched on. He received a few sad expressions, and Yugi even said goodbye. Ryou left.

Back at his house, Bakura spoke gentler and kinder. Ryou relaxed, trying to ignore the fact that his honey words were laced with poison.


	3. Abandoned

A/N: Warning: Suicide trigger. 

Theme 3 - Abandoned

________________________________________  


"Daddy, when are you coming back?" Ryou curled up in a ball under the covers as the thunder and lightning crashed around the apartment, and rain battered the windows and walls.

He heard a sigh over the other end of the phone. "Ryou..." His father trailed off. Before his father could continue, a large crack of thunder made the window panes shudder. Ryou couldn't stifle a small squeak of fear as he curled up in and even smaller ball.

"I'll be back soon,

little buddy. Just as soon as we finish cataloging a few leftover items. I'll even bring back something special from an Egyptian bazaar!" His father promised.

Ryou perked up until another crack of thunder made him flinch. But he forced a smile that wouldn’t be seen and said in a manner he hoped sounded cheery, "Okay, dad. See you when you get home."

He spent the rest of the night huddled under his covers.

________________________________________  


A couple weeks later, Ryou found a package waiting outside his door addressed from Egypt. When he opened it, he found a strange pendant surrounded by packing peanuts. He pulled it out to examine the strange necklace when an envelope flitted to the floor. He opened it.

"Dear Ryou,

I’m really sorry, son, but work has kept me busy, and I can no longer afford to call long-distance. I will have to stay a few more months. Please-.

Ryou crumpled the note up. Everything after the first sentence just sounded like "I don't care about you." "Just live alone for a few more months in a big city. What could possibly go wrong?" "I'm abandoning you."

He crumpled into a ball and sobbed.

________________________________________  


"Hey Joey! How have you been lately?" Tristan waved as the blonde-haired boy waltzed up to them. 

"Good. I nearly failed that science test, but who cares, am I right?" He laced his hands together behind his head and plastered a smirk of self-satisfaction at his own stupidity.

Ryou couldn't believe how carefree Joey looked at getting such a low grade. If he got anything less than a perfect, Bakura would badger him constantly, “You should study! You don’t want to flop another test!” “You’re working on that stupid RPG again? Don’t you have studying to do?” 

“Hey, Bakura! Join the crowd!" Tea called for him to catch up. 

Without realizing it, Ryou had pulled away from the group of people he called "friends". He wanted so bad to scream, "My name is Ryou! I like games, autumn, and the color blue! I play the clarinet! I love basketball and tennis! I had a life before this! Please just get to know me!"

But instead he laughed at the punch line of a joke he never heard. They weren't his friends. They didn't even know his birthday, his favorite food, what his family looked like. He didn’t even think they knew Amane was dead. All they knew is that they had to be careful around him.

And you know what? Maybe it was okay. After all, he was abandoned long ago. Why should it change now?

________________________________________  


The Ring always came back, and he always came back with the Ring. Maybe that's why Ryou never tried to save the Spirit. He would always come back. Ryou grinned. Finally someone wanted - needed - him, and would crawl back from death time and time again for him.

Ryou slid the ring over his neck and waited for Bakura to return. And waited... And waited... And waited...

Hours became days as he sat in the corner of his room. Ryou waited patiently for Bakura to return. Bakura had taken lots of time come back before. After Battle City, Bakura had taken a whole week to be able to contact Ryou. Surely if he can crawl back from the Shadows that many times, he can crawl out of a crack in the ground.

Days became weeks as he sat in the corner of his room. Ryou waited for Bakura to come back. Had he eaten recently? He shrugged to himself. Did it matter? Had he slept? He didn't think so.

Weeks became months as he sat in the corner of his room. Ryou couldn't wait for Bakura to come back any longer. He wasn't coming back. Ryou had been abandoned by his own soul.

With strange surety, Ryou cleared a spot on the spotless floor. He grabbed a tassel of the Ring and carefully drew the tip across his exposed wrist. Where was a good place to write it? Ah... there. Ryou got to work, perfectly forming each letter so there would be no mistaking his reasons.

Two days later, Ryou's landlord pounded on the door. What was with the boy? Usually he was very punctual, especially for a teen boy living alone, but he had missed the last three monthly payments.

There was no answer to his knock. The landlord glanced at his watch in confusion. Ryou was always doing homework at 6:00 on Tuesdays. Why was he gone now? 

"Ryou! Open this door! If you don't have enough money, we can talk!" The landlord pounded harder.

Pause.

No answer.

The landlord jiggled the knob, but it was locked tight. With a hiss, he fished the master key out of his pocket. "Last chance before I come in, kid!"

Pause.

No answer.

When the landlord opened the door, he was met with and awful stench that nearly made him vomit. His heart started pounding and adrenaline flashed through his system. Something was wrong. REALLY wrong. The landlord picked his way to the living room. The house wasn't messy at all, it was borderline pristine, but the stench was revolting. No one could live in this... filth.

And apparently, no one did.

The landlord stopped in shock and actually *did* throw up. Laying on the ground with blood pooling around his wrists was Ryou. The landlord left so fast he didn't even see the word Ryou had etched so carefully with his blood, a word that would haunt his friends and family:

Abandoned.


	4. Crisis

**Theme 4: Crisis**  
________________________________________

_I'm going to die. That's it. I'm just going to sit here and die._

The words flickered through Bakura’s mind links, waking him from his contemplation. Bakura raised his eyebrows and listened. 

_This is just awful! How can I fix it? I-I just can't! It's gonna stink, and everyone will_ laugh _at me, and I'm gonna die._

Bakura rolled his eyes and adjusted his consciousness to float beside his haggard Host, who was sitting at his desk. "And what appears to be the problem, Landlord?" 

Ryou whirrled on Bakura in his spiritual form. "Oh! It's nothing you need to be concerned with." Ryou turned his back to Bakura and resumed ripping out his hair.

"Au contrair, my little light." Bakura floated over to "sit" on Ryou's desk, folding his arms over his chest. "You thought about dying. Our body is a beautiful thing. Do not think I will not protect it." When Ryou just shrugged, Bakura skidded his hand through Ryou's chest.

An icy feeling slid down his insides. He shuddered and glared at Bakura who asked, "Is it more bullies? People pretending to be your friend? Shall I send some souls to the Shadow Realm?" Bakura looked meaningfully at the Ring hanging around Ryou's neck.

Ryou glanced up at Bakura with surprise. "No! It's nothing like that. I just... it's nothing." 

""Nothing" doesn't leave you crying pathetically and thinking about death." Bakura pointed out. Ryou shrugged and looked away. Bakura growled and tried searching the boy's mind but only found strong mental barriers.

"Landlord, you try my patience!" Bakura snarled. 

Ryou flinched slightly and met Bakura's eyes. "Fine. I'll tell you, but don't get mad. ...I don't know what to write." Ryou looked away, flushing slightly.

Bakura stared at Ryou. "Excuse me. What?" He asked, straightening through Ryou's desk. Ryou gestured at the blank sheet of paper Bakura was standing through. 

"For school," He explained, pointing at a book thrown down the hallway in frustration. "We're supposed to write a two-page book report on that book. I just don't know what to write about." Ryou buried his head in his hand with a self-pitying moan.

"And **why** did you consider this important enough to call me for?" Bakura sighed as he slowly disappeared into the Ring.

"Hey.” Ryou said defensively, “ _You're_ the one who came to _me_." Ryou pointed out at the retreating Spirit Bakura froze for a second, then disappeared. _Oh. Right._


	5. Dream

**Chapter 5: Dream - 428 words.**

_______________________________

Thief King Bakura opened his eyes groggily. Immediately, he knew something was wrong. Instead of waking up to the craggy familiarity of the cave he normally dwelt it, he was in a poor but sturdy mud brick house, lying on a scratchy hay mattress. He shot to his feet, eyes wide and heart pounding. What sorcery was this? He caught himself. Panicking would do no good now. 

Taking deep, measured breaths, the Thief King took stock of his surroundings. It was a simple square room. A few pieces of clothing were scattered across the floor, and some ink-stained papers decorated the crude desk standing against the opposite wall.

"Rise and shine my dear!" An older female voice called before pulling aside the sackcloth curtain over the door and entering. Bakura gasped as the woman set down a few robes at his feet.

"M-mother?" The Thief King stared at the face of the mother he had lost. His mother turned to face him and smiled. 

"Yes, my son. And we have you to thank for that." His mother walked to a small window and motioned for him to look.

The whole village of Kul Elna was no longer in ruins, but bustling with people sharing and bartering stolen goods. The Thief King collapsed to his knees. "What...what happened? Am... am I dead?" If this was death, maybe he should have died sooner, perhaps even killed himself.

"You're not dead. You returned the Millennium Items to their resting place. In return for your loyal service, Zorc returned our village to the way it was." In walked his father, strong and kind (And the best pickpocket in Kul Elna). 

"Father..." The Thief King whispered, tears coming to his eyes.

"Come here, our son." His mother and father held their arms wide. 

Happiness flooding his chest, the Thief King sobbed and flung himself into his family's arms. But before he reached them, he tumbled down into darkness.

________________________________________

"My lord!" Thief King Bakura woke with a start. The Shadow Ghoul who had woken him, a general with only a slight bit more consciousness and willpower than the average foot soldier, bowed respectfully. "What shall our next move be?" He rasped.

"...hm? Oh. Just wait for now." The Thief King waited for the Shadow Ghoul to leave before he flopped on his back and failed to hold back the tears.

"What's wrong, Your Highness? Nightmares?" The darkness in his heart always mocked him. The Thief King shook his head. 

"Worse... a dream."


End file.
